Happy holidays. Hope you got to enjoy some holiday cheer with friends and loved ones. Today's political roundup will help you get caught up with what's been going on in the world of politics. Here are the top stories from New Jersey and on the national scene:

Jenna Portnoy, Statehouse reporter for The Star-Ledger, writes about the behind-the-scenes dealings over Newark's fundraising efforts to match Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg's $100 million pledge to help the city's struggling public schools. On Christmas Eve, city officials released dozens of heavily edited emails. Details from the emails show that Newark philanthropist Ray Chambers was told that his offer of $1 million over five years wasn't sufficient.

Deadline looming for budget talks

President Barack Obama is cutting his Hawaii vacation short, leaving this evening to get back to Washington as Congressional leaders attempt to close the growing divide over the budget talks. Senate Democrats say that they will roll out their plan when Republicans show they're willing to negotiate. Foxnews.com offers a look at options for legislators as the year-end deadline approaches. In a Christmas Eve NJ.com poll, more than 600 readers said that the President and Congressional leaders should have stayed in D.C. through the holidays to hammer out a deal.

NJTransit warned of storm risks

According to northjersey.com, NJTransit officials in 2011 commissioned a half-million-dollar study to examine how climate change could affect its transportation system.The study warned that NJTransit could face significant risks from major storms. Months later, Hurricane Sandy caused an estimated $400 million in damage that has kept NJTransit for operating fully for nearly two months.

Shore towns at risk from coming storms

The Asbury Park Press reports that severe storms that damaged the South could bring more flooding to the struggling Jersey Shore. According to the National Weather Service, Monmouth and Ocean counties could be hardest hit by the storms expected to hit through Thursday.

It was a somber Christmas in Newtown, CT as the town continue to recover from Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre of 27 adults and students. But the post-shooting fight over gun laws raged. National Rifle Association Vice President Wayne LaPierre announced on "Meet the Press" that the NRA would support no review or changes in gun laws. Interestingly, "Meet the Press" host David Gregory could be in hot water for having a large-capacity ammunition magazine on the show's set. Meanwhile, The Journal-News, a paper in Westchester County, NY, was criticized for publishing an interactive map of everyone who has a permit to carry a handgun in Westchester and Rockland counties.

People to watch in 2013

If you're tired of 2012 and trying to hurry into 2013, politico.com offers a list of people in politics they believe will be worth watching next year.

A look at the 'Fiscliff'

Here's a creative way for one conservative columnist to look at the budget negotiations. Bill Frezza uses Clement Moore's Christmas classic, " "Twas The Night Before Christmas," to analyze the situation.